Finding Flowers
by Lamanth
Summary: ONE SHOT – It shouldn’t be that hard to pick out a flower for Valentines Day, should it? But the perfect girl needs the perfect flower. Sasuke/Ino


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, merchandise, TV rights, ect… (I think you get the point.)

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Summery 

ONE SHOT – It shouldn't be that hard to pick out a flower for Valentines Day, should it? But the perfect girl needs the perfect flower. (Sasuke/Ino)

Like all of my work this is just something that happened to float through the empty void inside my head. Like it or hate it please R and R as honest opinions are always welcomed, as are random acts of worship.

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Lamb: Another special date on the calendar, so another random fic from me!! Not that I need a reason to write as I have too many ideas as it is.

**Muse:** And I've just got one. Sit down and shut up!!

_Dedi:_ Would you please? Anyway this fic is dedicated to **shelvesinthecloset**, just because that is who it is dedicated to. So **shelvesinthecloset** this is for you.

Lamb: As always sorry for any bad spelling and if you feel the need to throw things at me please wait until I've hidden behind the sofa kay!?

M**use: **On with the fic!

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_Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer,  
Do you know you're unlike any other?  
You'll always be my thunder, and I said,  
Your eyes are the brightest of all the colours,  
I don't wanna ever love another,  
You'll always be my thunder,_

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**Finding Flowers**

There were few things worse than being single on Valentines Day.

One of the things that did come into this category however was having to work a shift in your family's flower shop. A task that meant you had to help the guy you had been respectively, dreaming of, crushing on, lusting after, secretly in love with since before you even knew what boys, were pick out flowers for another girl. And this was precisely the situation in which Yamanaka Ino found herself.

Under normal circumstances the blonde kunoichi would have liked nothing better than to have a valid reason for spending time in the company of one Uchiha Sasuke. But today, when she had already spent most of the past few hour reciting the hidden meanings of love and devotion behind the flowers numerous times, the presence of the darkly handsome eighteen-year-old was making her more and more touchy. And though Ino tried to tell herself that it was that the guy was being so picky and that was what was bothering her, she couldn't quite bring her self to believe it.

Yamanaka Ino was an accomplished liar, as all kunoichi needed to be it was practically one of the job specifications, and could lie to just about anyone about just about anything. There were the small white lies that everyone told all the time and then there were the big lies that were told to stop the village tearing its self apart and to keep the five nations from going to war. And Ino was definitely one of the best, and was secretly rather proud of the fact that Lady Tsunade had once told her she would have been a brilliant politician. Who, after all, were just people who were very good at saying one thing while meaning another.

There was though, one person to whom the Yamanaka couldn't lie, and rather annoyingly that person was herself. Which meant that she knew perfectly well that the reason she was so irritated by Sasuke was that he was picking out, or trying to, flowers for someone who was not her. More over someone, she was quite sure, had pink hair and a huge forehead, someone that would take great pleasure in rubbing Ino's face in the fact that it was she and not the blonde who had been given flowers.

"No," He said, shaking his head as he looked away from the display of orchids, which he had been studying intently, "I don't think these are what I'm looking for either."

"Sasuke-san," and there was a brittle brightness to Ino's voice which belied her rapidly thinning patients. "You have seen just about every flower we have, some of them at least three times, and you have not seen any that you thought to be right. Just what is it you expect me to do?"

"Who said I expected you to do anything?" The blonde didn't stamp her foot and scream, but it was a close run thing. "I need something that will do justice to the girl in question. She is strong yet tender and caring. Intelligent despite her youth and has a rare beauty that will only increase with the passing of time."

"My, my, my. But doesn't she just sound wonderful." If Sasuke heard the withering scorn in the mind walker's voice he chose to ignore it. "Where would grow the flower that could even hold a candle to her?"

"Yes, it would have to be a exceptional bloom indeed to even come close." The sharingan master said glancing sideways to catch the look on Ino's face and could almost have laughed, her jealously was so obvious.

"A flower such as that would be expensive?" It came out in the form of a question as the blonde had suddenly had an idea of what she could sell Sasuke, which would mean she could get him out of the shop. And then she'd be free to wallow in her misery because the love of her life had brought flowers for the emerald-eyed medic-nin.

"Price, of course, is not an object. There is nothing I would not pay just to see her smile." And smile was just the opposite of what Ino did at his words; it was so easy for people to make sweeping statements about _price being no object_ when they were rolling in money.

"In that case, there is one more flower that I _could_ show you." Sasuke knew that he was being tested, as the sole living Uchiha he was probably the richest person in Konoha and Ino knew that, this was just her way of trying to prove she was still in control of her feelings. "But you should know that just one of these flowers would cost you 5,500 yen."

"As I said before, for her, there is no price I would not pay." The ice-eyed blonde failed to completely hide her scowl as she shoved a leaflet she had taken from under the counter into his hand before stalking off into one of the three storerooms.

Smiling to himself at her evident bad temper, which he had only exacerbated, unintentionally of course it wasn't as if he got some sort of thrill out of pushing the Yamanaka's buttons, he examined the piece of paper which she had thrust at him.

_**Creating a Colour and Gold Trimmed Rose** _

_These real roses are chosen at the peak of their bloom and then preserved to capture their natural beauty that would normally fade within days. Each rose is unique and created through a 40-step process which preserves the beauty of these roses yet makes them strong enough to hold and last forever._

_To preserve the colour of the natural rose and to enhance the stunning beauty of the real rose beneath we now offer roses in a variety of colours with gold trim. The rose flower bloom is dipped in lacquer to preserve the rose and the colour. Then the leaves and stem are dipped in gold. The flower bloom is then highlighted in gold to give them a remarkably rich look. The process captures the dramatic colour and beauty of the real rose beneath creating a timeless gift for you or someone special in your life._

_**Colours Available**_

_Black Rose - Death_

_Blue (Deep) Rose - devotion, I am yours _

_Blue (Light) Rose - symbolises eternity, together forever_

_Coral Rose - conveys desire_

_Green Rose - youthful beauty_

_Orange Rose - indicate enthusiasm, desire and fascination_

_Pink (Deep) - says Thank You_

_Pink (Light) - Rose conveys admiration, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetness_

_Pink Rose - carry the message of happiness, gracefulness and gentleness_

_Purple Rose - symbolise love at first sight and enhancement_

_Red Roses - symbolise sincere Love, Respect, Courage and Passion_

_Red (Dark) Rose - reveals unconscious beauty_

_Red (Single) - means, "I Love You"_

_Red & White Roses - together signify unity_

_White Roses - express Purity/heavenly, secrecy, silence, innocence and charm_

_White (Bridal) Rose - symbolises a happy love_

_Yellow Rose - indicate joy, gladness, friendship and "I Care" _

_Yellow Rose with Red Tip - indicates friendship falling in Love._

"Well?" At the sound of the deeply irritated voice, Sasuke looked up to see Ino had reappeared in the doorway. "Are you coming or not?"

"Sorry Ino-san, I was just reading the information which _you_ gave me." The polite form of address did nothing to improve the teen's mood; she just scowled before disappearing once more into the storeroom.

Still smiling to himself Sasuke followed after the blonde. Blinking slightly to get accustomed to the dimness of the small room which he had entered it took the Uchiha a moment to focus on Ino who was standing just to one side of a large glass fronted cabinet. It was about seven-foot tall, four-foot wide and a foot deep, and one each of the seven brightly lit shelves, glittering like so many pieces of buried treasure were the roses about which he had just read.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Ino said, in a soft almost reverent voice. The light from the cabinet reflected off of the many coloured blooms and painted a rainbow across her face.

"Extremely." And there was something a kin to wonder in his tone as he stepped closer to where the Leaf kunoichi standing. "And I think they will indeed be suitable."

"Then pick." Her voice was back to the clipped, irritated one that she had been using with him since the moment that he had entered the florists. There had been something about the term _suitable_ that had annoyed her.

"The Purple one," The dark haired male murmured almost more to himself then to the kunoichi. "I think that its meaning is most fitting."

"Love at first sight and to be enchanted." Ino recited as she remover the rose in question from its stand, the gold edging on its petals gleaming in the light. "She really must be something, this girl."

"You have no idea Ino." Sasuke said gently but the blonde had already made her way back into the shop proper.

Ino was back behind the counter, wrapping his purchase in a sheet of clear plastic trimmed with gold, by the times Sasuke left the storeroom, having stopped to have one last look at the magnificent blooms. Her fingers, with the opalescent painted nails, moved swiftly as she deftly tied the ribbon, also gold, in a tight bow around the rose. Hatake Kakashi, his former laid back sensei, was gripping the edge of the counter, his one visible eye wild as he ranted.

His main theme seemed to be the lightly hood that he was going to die at the hands of Anko with in the next twelve hours unless he got her an appropriate Valentines Day gift.

Offering his one time sensei a sympathetic look, Sasuke handed over the required amount of money to the distracted blonde and picked up his flower. For one long moment he starred down at the magnificent purple bloom in his hands, it stated off a deep amethyst colour but paled to more of a lavender shade as it neared the stem. The burnish gold that highlighted each separate petal and traced the veins on the leaves only added to its rich beauty. It really was perfection, the perfect gift, but it still could not compare to the girl for whom it was intended.

Delaying only long enough to attach the pre-prepared card to the thick velvet ribbon, Sasuke left the Yamanaka flower shop and left Kakashi, who was on the point of having a complete breakdown, in Ino's tender care. If anyone would be able to sort out the silver haired jounin's Valentines Day nightmare then it would be the blonde.

Some five minuets later Ino pushed the door shut behind the much happier Hatake, who had gone off in search of his chosen gifts. Kunai, both of them had come up with that. Poison, his idea. Handcuffs, Ino's idea.

Checking her watch and finding it to be over a quarter of an hour past the time when she should have closed up, the blonde irritable flipped the sign round and flicked the catch on the door. That had been Sasuke's fault, all that time she'd had to spend showing him all those flowers and explaining their meanings. Because of him, and his search for the perfect flower for a girl, who frankly sounded too good to be true and therefore most probably was, she was now going to be running late for the rest of the day.

Not that she actually had any plans to do anything, Ino reflected grumpily as she twirled the field daisy Kakashi had bought her as a thank you in her hand. Sometimes it really did suck being single. And it wasn't as if she could even make herself feel better by going out with the rest of Team Ten.

Choji was taking Hinata out to dinner, indeed he'd been in earlier that day to buy flowers for the girl. It had been funny, yet also so very sweet to see her big framed team-mate fretting away in case he ended up buying flowers for the Hyuuga heiress only to find out she didn't like them.

As for Shikamaru, all Ino knew was that he was spending the evening, which meant probably the night too, with Temari and she didn't really need to hear anymore to know what that pair would be up to.

"Oh for the love of –"

Somehow the blue-eyed young woman managed to catch herself before she finished the exclamation; it wasn't as if raging would do her any good. There on top of the counter glittering away like some exotic jewel was the purple rose that she had sold Sasuke. The stupid bastard had somehow managed to walk out of the shop leaving the gift for his perfect cherry blossom behind, which now meant that after closing up the shop she would have to go running after him.

Oh joy.

Ino snatched up the offending flower and winced when one of the corners of the small piece of cardboard that was attached to it dug into her palm. Life really was out to get her, she thought before remembering that Sasuke hadn't asked for a card, so it must have been one that the Uchiha had brought himself. No doubt it was some sickeningly sweet note to this flawless girl of his.

How someone as strong and in control Sasuke could go all gooey eyed over some girl, especially a girl like Sakura, was completely beyond Ino who glared down at the rectangle of card. Only to suddenly feel as if all the breath had been squeezed out of her body while her heart seemed to jump into her throat as she starred down at the words written on the gold trimmed piece of cardboard.

_Ino, _

_With my love always_

_Sasuke_

_P.S. I'll pick you up at eight_

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"Hello Sasuke." Ino said softly as she looked at the darkly handsome male standing on her doorstep.

The blonde was looking stunning in a white kimono with a design of small lilac flowers. The obi was dark lavender in colour, matching the floral designs fashionably. A very classy gown that complimented her petite, soft figure and blended well with her hair that had been pinned elegantly up and was adorned by one large white daisy. She was what he had been dreaming about almost since the moment of his return, and though she had tied to play off her feeling Sasuke knew that the attraction was mutual. She would have looked all sweetness and innocence if it weren't for the way the silk clung to her ever curve and the way the tight fabric forced her pert bust up and out. It was already dawning on Sasuke that it would take an immense amount of self-control if he were going to be able to keep his hand off of her.

"Did you like your flower?" Was Sasuke's opening statement as he stood looking at Ino when she opened her front door to him some two and a half hours after he left the shop.

The Uchiha was looking almost edible in a navy blue kimono and a black hakama. Pale blue designs danced on the kimono's normally plain cloth, proclaiming the wearer's power despite his youth. It was defiantly as good colour combination for the man, Ino thought, as it accentuated his pale complexion. It bore more geometric and angular patterns compared to the graceful lines of her own kimono, exuding a distinctly more masculine vibe. The top was also slightly loose, allowing the handsome male to show off a sliver of his chiselled chest. Sasuke's hair was also slightly more tame than usual, allowing him to appear more sophisticated and formal.

"It is beautiful." She smiled lightly as she took the hand he offered and the pair began making their to wherever Sasuke had in mind. "But, it turns out I was right in what I thought about the girl you described."

"Oh yes?" He queried, smiling lightly because the blonde had made no move to remove her hand from his.

"Yes. When you talked about her –"

"You."

" – I thought to myself that she sounded too good to be true. And it turns out I was right."

"No, Ino," Sasuke said stopping and turning the blonde to face him. "If anything you're too good for me."

Ino's reply was cut off when Sasuke dipped his head and captured her lips with his own. So much for being able to keep his hands off of her, he thought ruefully as he deepened the kiss and the blonde's hands moved to pull him closer.

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Lamb: I know it was a sappy ending but what can I do? I have to be nice to them sometimes.

**Muse:** Well you did kill them both last time out.

_Dedi:_ So now she's being nice and **shelvesinthecloset**, we hope you liked it.

Please R and R I'd love to know what you thought.

Big love and inspiration

Lamanth


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